Kevin Nash is shedding more light on the recent WWE/TKO contract restructuring talks, including what he’s heard behind the scenes regarding talent taking massive pay cuts to remain with the company.
Following WrestleMania, WWE made several roster cuts while also reportedly approaching select wrestlers about reworking their existing deals for less money rather than being released outright.
While it remains unclear how many talents were contacted, or who ultimately agreed to the reduced terms, it’s believed some performers accepted cuts as steep as 50 percent.
One notable exception was The New Day members Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, who reportedly turned down the offer and instead exited WWE.
Speaking on his Kliq This podcast (see video below), Nash admitted he was stunned after learning how much one wrestler was earning prior to agreeing to a reduced contract.
“I’ve got enough moles in the business where — I mean, I know the people that took 50 percent cuts,” Nash said on his Kliq This podcast. “I know one of the guys, and when I found out what the person was making, and after I just picked myself up off the ground that he was making that much money, and then realized that even at 50 percent, he was making huge money.”
That wasn’t the only topic Nash addressed during the episode.
The WWE Hall of Famer also clarified comments he made previously regarding TKO’s involvement in WWE creative. Nash recently drew attention after suggesting TKO should stay out of the creative side of the business and allow Paul “Triple H” Levesque to handle things without interference.
According to Nash, however, Levesque never personally told him that TKO executives were meddling in the process.
“One thing Paul and I have never done is we have never talked business. Like, I could not call or text him and say, ‘Hey, what’s going on? Are they f***ing [with you]?’ He would never,” Nash said. “Because that’s our deal. Because that takes away the trust that he has with the people he works for. So that’s always been, it’s none of my business. It’s none of my business who’s involved in Paul’s everyday life that he works with.”
Nash then suggested his frustration may have simply boiled over after a long stretch of travel.
“Paul’s a big boy. Paul can take care of himself. I just had heard some things, and I don’t know. Maybe I got pissed off last week. Maybe it was just because I did a lot of driving. Maybe I thought I was a wrestler again. Maybe being in a different hotel five nights in a row in a minivan, putting f***ing heavy ass bags in the back triggered some post-traumatic stress that I was holding out for during the 30-year run.”
Nash also spoke positively about his personal interactions with Ari Emanuel, noting that the TKO boss has always treated him respectfully whenever they’ve crossed paths.
“The only person I’ve ever met from TKO is Ari. He’s the only one that I’ve ever met,” Nash said. “And he was such a gentleman. He came up, he shook my hand. I’ve never been treated better by anyone in management than the way he treated me. He just said, ‘If there’s anything I could do for you, blah, blah, blah, blah.’ And every time I’ve seen him since — he’s the only person I know. He’s the only one. So the other two cats, I don’t know them. I just wanted to lash out at somebody, so they, I don’t know them, you know?”